A few quick remarks on officials and giving notice of departure. An official who’s not very good, just struggling along, will give ample notice (both implicit and explicit) of a departure. Here’s how to tell: the official will have been a second or third choice initially, will try unsuccessfully for years to leave (being rejected…
City
City, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Police, Politics, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Assembly Bill 173
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday, Rep. Don Pridemore’s Arizona-syle immigration legislation received a numerical designation: Assembly Bill 173. The full text of the bill is online at the Legislature’s website. The bill has the following initial sponsors: “Representatives Pridemore, Wynn, LeMahieu, Kleefisch, Steineke and Jacque; Cosponsored by Senator Lasee.” One could have expected Wynn to support this measure. His…
City, Crime
Common Council: Synthetic Marijuana
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update: There’s a solid follow-up from Walworth County Today about the reach of the ban — it won’t apply to our campus, as that jurisdiction is under the authority of the state and university system. See, City of Whitewater can’t ban synthetic pot on campus. At last night’s council meeting, a clear majority of the…
City, Crime, Police
Common Council: Crime Prevention
by JOHN ADAMS •
Property crimes, although not as reprehensible as crimes of violence, are yet significant wrongs. Theft injures its victims, and undermines civil society. One has no reason to be sympathetic to thieves. Individuals and society benefit from strong private property rights. Whitewater, perhaps more than other towns nearby, has a problem with property crimes, including car…
City, Economy, Innovation Center/Tech Park, University
The Starin Road Extension
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story, from yesterday’s Daily Union, about the Starin Road extension. See, Whitewater dedicates Starin Road extension. In the story, Whitewater’s city manager advances a few justifications for the multi-million-dollar, taxpayer-financed extension: first for emergencies, then for connecting the Innovation Center to the campus, then as part of a package including bike trails. There’s…
City, Freedom of Speech, Law, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Police
The Government’s War on Cameras
by JOHN ADAMS •
Photography and recordings do much to safeguard citizens’ rights and protect honest officers against false accusations. Places in which officials discourage lawful, constitutional photography are ones in which officials not only act outside the law but also imprudently. There will be fewer injustices, and better policing, in a word of expansive photographers’ rights. By the…
City, Development, Economy
Whitewater’s May 17th Common Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, embedded below, included a discussion of Whitewater’s calculation and charges for new construction permits. That discussion takes places from 21:50 to 31:20. Of that discussion, there were two positive changes to Whitewater’s current policy: (1) that the city should calculate new-construction permit costs by square footage, and (2) that the rate…
City, Politics, Press
“Whitewater alderman faces drug charges” – GazetteXtra
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Gazette (Janesville or Walworth County version) fronts a story this morning about criminal charges against one of the members of Whitewater’s Common Council, councilmember Butler of District 2. The print editions offer more detail than the online link, available at http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-news/2011/may/17/whitewater-alderman-faces-drug-charges/. Although other media will run the story, they’ll be chasing it, and have…
City, Free Markets
The Foolish War on Walmart
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here in small-town Whitewater, we’re getting an expanded Walmart. It’s Walmart, not Tiffany & Co. It is, however, popular with millions, for low prices on a wide selection of goods. We’ve also a selection of local merchants, some of whom are positioned to thrive regardless of Walmart’s plans. I’ve objected to an exclusionary ‘buy local’…
City, Laws/Regulations, Police
Whitewater’s May 3rd Common Council Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s another council meeting tonight, but two political parts of the last meeting stand out. Fees for a Search Firm. There was discussion, and approval, of additional fees for a police search. Approval was the right decision, and the additional cost would have been easier if former police chief Coan hadn’t sought to retain thousands…
City, Laws/Regulations, Liberty, Politics, Walworth County, Wisconsin
Emily’s Post: ‘Welcome to Wisconsin, Jim Crow’
by JOHN ADAMS •
Emily Mills writes about Assembly Bill 7, sure to become law: This bill is, at its core, a rollback of the right to vote that impacts the most vulnerable and already disenfranchised populations in this state. It spits in the faces of those who’ve come before and fought (and sometimes died) to see this most…
City
Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters May 2011 Newsletter
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ May 2011 Newsletter is out, and it includes articles and a calendar of upcoming LWV events. The latest copy of the LWV newsletter is available as a link on my blogroll, and is embedded below, with coding through Google. This June, on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11,…
City, Laws/Regulations, Politics, Wisconsin
A Freshman Legislator’s Unusual Choice
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s an AP story over at Walworth County Today entitled, Rep. Wynn pushes for earlier alcohol sales as a convenience to tailgaters. Rep. Evan Wynn is the freshman assemblyman representing the 43rd Assembly District, a district that includes Whitewater. I’m opposed to most restrictions on alcohol, but it’s easy to see that this is an…
City, Politics
Whither Whitewater’s Democrats?
by JOHN ADAMS •
At a time of large labor protests, the near-victory of a previously-unknown Supreme Court candidate, and the prospect of recall elections against six GOP state senators, can Whitewater’s Democrats have a hard time in 2012? Yes, for at least two reasons. First, successful restrictions on public employees’ collective bargaining rights are meant to reduce unions’…